Flushing cistern



Patented Oct. 28, 1952 FLUSHING oIs'rERN Joseph Leslie Pegler, Beecroft, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, assignor to Lockair Pty. Limited, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, a corporation of New South Wales Application November 15, 1949, Serial No. 127,318 In Australia December 6, 1948 7 Claims.

This invention relates to cisterns employed more particularly for flushing sanitary pans in water closets.

The invention has been devised to provide a devise of this nature wherein movable mechanical contrivances ordinarily employed to discharge contents of the cistern by siphoning or otherwise, are eliminated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cistern for the foregoing purpose which can be installed externally of the closet, for example above the roof thereof, and which can be operated by a push-button or other appropriate means conveniently disposed in the closet.

Although it is preferred that cisterns embodying this invention should be installed in an elevated position with respect to the pen, the invention can with advantage, particularly where silent operation is especially desired, be applied to what are now generally referred to as lowdown cisterns. v

The invention succeeds in providing a flushingcistern wherein the only noise of operation is that due to incoming and discharging water, and which should need no attention from time to time, except that normally given to a float controlled valve or equivalent device of known type employed to control admission of Water to the cistern.

In order however, that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into practical effect, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, representing somewhat diagrammatically one form of my improved flushing cistern with its 'means for operation; and

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic section partly in elevation, of portion of the improved means illustrated by Figure 1, looking from a direction at right angles to that from which the means of Figure 1 is viewed.

The improved cistern represented by the drawings comprises a reservoir it which may be formed as ordinarily. Projecting upwards from its floor and cast integral therewith is one arm H of a sump or seal l2. This sump or seal is proportioned to contain, normally, a body of water capable of offsetting pressure exerted by the water in reservoir Ill when the latter is filled to a level at which flushing can be effected.

The said sump or seal l2 could, if desired, lie

.above the floor level of reservoir Ill, or alterna- In the example illustrated, the pipe l3 leads downwards to a pan as ordinarily.

Within the reservoir [0 and over the upper portion of the arm ll of the sump or seal l2, a bell-shaped member Hi is supported on the floor of reservoir It as by feet I5. This bellshaped member 14 is moulded say, of a mixture of sand and cement, and the feet It .can be conveniently moulded integral with it. The feet l5 are for the purpose of leaving a gap It between the mouth ll of bell-shaped member l4 and the floor of the reservoir Iii. 7

Also moulded integral in the wall of the bellshaped member M is a compartment I8 which in the example illustrated is of U shape as shown more clearly in Figure 2. This compartment 18 could alternatively be of cylindrical form and need not necessarily be moulded integral with the bell-shaped member M. It could, for instance, be formed on the outer face of th wall thereof. The ends l9 and 2!] respectively of compartment 13 are closed. Through the end ill a tube 2! establishes communication with the upper internal regions of the bell-shaped member l4, while another tube 22 extends from the lower regions of compartment 3 to a point above the maximum level reached by Water fed to the reservoir by a conventional ball-cock. This maximum level is .indicated by the broken line 23, but the ball-clock is not shown.

Water admitted by said ball-cock is fed by a pipe 24 to a cylinder 25 which surrounds the tube 22 and may have its lower end embedded in the top of bell-shaped member M. It will be observed that the cylinder 25 extends above the top of tube 22 and that an annular opening 26 surrounds the pipe 24 when the end of the latter enters the cylinder 25.

Through the closed end 2!) of compartment Ill a tube 27 is led upwards over the wall of reservoir l El and then downwards to control means 28 located conveniently in the lavatory. This control means comprises a rubber diaphragm 29 formed with a push-button 30, the latter preferably having a hole 3| penetrating it. The rim of this diaphragm 29 is clamped between a, front plate 32 and a rear plate 33. If preferred, this control means could take some other form; for instance, it could comprise a plunger arranged for operation in a conveniently mounted cylinder.

The improved cistern operates in the following manner. Water is permitted to flow through pipe 2d into cylinder 25 at a greater rate than that at which it can escape from the cylinder 25 through the annular opening 26. This rate can, of course, be determined by adjustment of the ball-cock when the cistern is first installed. The water will rise in cylinder 25 and some will flow down tube 22 and establish a water seal in the compartment I8. As the water continues to rise it will flow over the upper end of cylinder 25 into reservoir It. When the ball-cock ultimately tends to cut off supply, the level of water in the cylinder 25 will recede to that of the water in reservoir Ill due to leakage through the annular opening 26.

The cistern then is ready for flushing, and in that condition it will be realized that a considerable amount or" air has been trapped within the bell-shaped member Hi.

When the push-button 30 is pressed there will be a displacement of air within the tube 21 and pressure will be exerted against water in that arm of compartment 8 to which tube 2! is connected. Finger pressure on push-button 39 causes water to be projected upwards through tube 22 and/or the tube 2!. Immediately the finger is withdrawn from push-button 3D the water level in tube 22 will fall substantially below the level in reservoir IE1, and as pressure of air within the bell-shaped member M has been relieved somewhat by this expulsion of water, water will rise within the bell-shaped l4, flow into the upwardly projecting arm ll of sump or seal 12 and initiate syphoning from the latter. This syphoning action will continue until the reservoir it has been substantially emptied.

A small snifter hoe 34 may be formed in the lower portion of the bell-shaped member [4 to allow water to leak away from between said bellshaped member l4 and arm ll of sump or seal i2, after flushing has been effected.

The arrangement of the several components of the improved cistern is such that flushing cannot take place until water in the reservoir lil has reached the level intended to be attained for that purpose. This ensures eiiective flushing on all occasions.

What I claim is:

1. An improved flushing cistern comprising, in combination, a reservoir, a sump forming a seal on said reservoir for a flushing pipe extending downwardly from said reservoir, said sump including an arm projecting above the floor of said reservoir, a single bell-shaped member within said reservoir surrounding said arm for syphoning water from the reservoir, a tubular compartment formed integral with said bellshaped member and providing a water seal within said reservoir, means establishing communication between one end of said compartment and the upper region of said bell-shaped member to allow of air being released from the latter so that water can rise therein and overflow into said arm, a tubular conduit leading from the lower precincts of said compartment to atmosphere at a point above the maximum water level in said reservoir, and pressure operated means exteriorly of said reservoir whereby, under pressure of air, water may be projected from said compartment to initiate flushing by said istern.

2. An improved flushing cistern comprising, in combination, a reservoir, a sump forming a seal on said reservoir for a flushing pipe extending downwardly from said reservoir, said sump including an arm projecting above the floor of said reservoir, a single bell-shaped member within said reservoir surrounding said arm for syphoning water from the reservoir, a U shaped tubular compartment having one end in communication with the upper internal regions of said bellshaped member, pressure operated means exteriorly of said reservoir and connected to the other end of said compartment, and a tubular conduit leading from the lower portion of said compartment to a point above the maximum water level in said reservoir so that water can be projected from said compartment to initiate flushing by said cistern.

3. An improved flushing cistern as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the upper end of said tubular conduit is arranged to receive water fed to the cistern and to lead it into said compartment for the purpose of establishing a water seal in the latter substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

a. An improved flushing cistern comprising, in combination, a reservoir, a sump forming a seal on said reservoir for a flushing pipe extending downwardly from said reservoir, said sump including an arm projecting above the floor of said reservoir, a single bell-shaped member within said reservoir surrounding said arm for syphoning water from the latter, a tubular compartment formed integral with said bell-shaped member and providing a water seal Within said reservoir, means establishing communication between one end of said compartment and the upper region of said bell-shaped member to allow of being released from the latter sothat water can rise therein and overflow into said arm, a tubular conduit leading from the lower precincts of said compartment to atmosphere at a point above the maximum water level in said reservoir, and pressure operated flushing means located exteriorly of said reservoir and comprising a casing and a flexible diaphragm formed with a push-button and mounted in said casing.

5. An improved flushing cistern comprising, in combination, a reservoir, a sump forming a seal therefor, a bell-shaped member surrounding a passage leading to said sump, a tubular compartment forming part of said bell-shaped member, means establishing communication between one end of said compartment and the upper regions of said bell-shaped member, flushing means in communication with the other end of said compartment, a tubular conduit leading from the lower regions of said compartment to atmosphere at a point above the uppermost lever of water in said reservoir, and means for feeding water into the upper end of said tubular conduit.

6. An improved flushing cistern comprising, in combination, a reservoir, a U-shaped sump below said reservoir and including an upwardly projecting arm, a bell-shaped member in said reservoir surrounding the upwardly projecting arm providing a passage to said sump, a U-shaped compartment formed within the wall of said bellshaped member, a passage between one end of said U-shaped compartment and the upper regions of said bell-shaped member, flushing means in communication with the other end of said U-shaped compartment, a tubular conduit leading from the lower regions of said U-shaped compartment to atmosphere at a point above the uppermost level of Water in said reservoir, and means for feeding water into the upper end of said tubular conduit.

7. In a flushing cistern of the type having a reservoir and a sump below the reservoir having an arm communicating with the reservoir, a bell-shaped member located over the arm of the sump, a U-shaped compartment molded in the wall of said bell-shaped member, a tube establishing communication between the upper regions of said bell-shaped member and one end of said compartment, a tube leading from the other end of said compartment to pressure operated means installed conveniently below said reservoir, a tubular conduit extending from the lowermost portion of said compartment to atmosphere at a point above the maximum level of water in said reservoir, and a cylinder surrounding the upper end of said tubular conduit to feed water into said compartment.

JOSEPH LESLIE PEGLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 5 file of this patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 29,453 Great Britain Dec. 22, 1896 443,358 Great Britain Feb. 24, 1936 

